January 2012 Archives

Chapter one focuses on the elementary fundamentals of psychology. Its main topics include the multiple levels of analysis, the challenges it brings, the aspect of our common sense, the science behind it all, certain types of claims, identifying the truth, its popularity, pseudoscience, scientific thinking, its history, framework, modern practice, its disagreements, and how it affects our lives. There are seven levels of analysis: social, behavioral, mental, neurological, neurochemical, and molecular. Each plays an important role in psychology. Challenges of psych are that it is influenced by several factors and that we can't always trust our common sense. Some common misconceptions are that a theory explains one specific event or is just an educated guess. It also talks about metaphysical claims, or, claims that can't be completely proven. Pseudoscience is another topic in this chapter which is a set of claims that aren't scientific but seem like they are. This is important to study because it can be detrimental to us if ignored. Some major psych debates include nature versus nurture and the free will-determinism debate. To me, this section is about the very core values of psychology and how it applies to all humans in everyday life.